Pokemon Saiko Championships
by Bayleef Backstab
Summary: On the island of Saiko the most prestigious competition in the world of pokemon is about to get underway. Ash is competing, but is he in over his head? How will he cope battling against his new friends...and his new enemies?  Rated T for language.
1. Beginnings

The ferry rocked as it gently docked at the harbour.

"This is gonna be so cool," exclaimed Ash, "right Pikachu?"

_"_Pika pika!"_ It sure will be!_

"Yeah but don't forget Ash, this is the most prestigious tournament around," Brock reminded him.

"But surely compared to the Sinnoh league…well it can't be that tough can it?" asked Dawn.

"Well, according to Pokemon weekly," replied Brock, burying his face in a glossy magazine, "this is the highest standard of competitions in…the world."

"Hmm," muttered Ash, momentarily thrown of his stride, "well…it doesn't matter doe it?"

"Why not?" enquired Dawn.

"This is the most prestigious tournament in the world, right?" he explained, "And I'm the most prestigious trainer, so no problem!"

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu, _He's right!_

Dawn and Brock both rolled their eyes.

* * *

"Come on, brighten up!" a brown haired boy yelled at a shorter blonde haired boy.

"Why? What's so good about Saikō Island?" the blonde haired boy replied in a surly voice.

"Have you listen to anything that I've said?" shouted the first boy.

"Not particularly," sniggered the second, "I mean, with you it's always…well, always nothing: you have the gift of being able to talk without actually saying anything, bro."

"Well, you should have," replied the first, suppressing his rage, "because this is where you need to be prepared- this is the Saikō championships so you need to focus Jazol!"

"Nope, I don't, and especially not when you say so, Chazo," replied Jazol, as he put up his hood and pulled the drawstrings until only his mouth was visible.

"Well, you may look a bit cooler now, but can you still see?" asked Chazo.

"Of course," replied Jazol moodily.

"Well, I'm gonna go get lunch in the cafeteria now. The ship docks at Saikō Island in a couple of hours. So, if you can see, you'll come and get lunch with me," said Chazo, smirking.

"No, actually I'm not that hungry," replied Jazol.

"Oh, you're not hungry," grinned Chazo, "it's got nothing to do with the fact that you can't see?"

"No, don't be stupid."

* * *

Ash, Dawn and Brock had been walking around for about two hours now, and still had only see a fraction of Port Kibo, the harbour town of Saikō Island. It was huge, and packed with trainers who wanted to take part in the championships.

"So," asked Dawn, "is anyone we know here?"

"Not sure," replied Brock, "but they probably will be. Even Gym Leaders take part in the championships occasionally, although even for them it's a hell of a challenge."

"Where is this place?" exclaimed Ash.

"You mean the stadium?" asked Brock.

"Yeah," replied Ash.

"I'm not too sure," admitted Brock, " let's ask someone."

They began to search for someone who looked like a hotshot trainer. In a crowded square they found a tall kid, with gelled black hair and black jeans, a metallic belt and battered trainers. He was talking to a bunch of other kids, most dressed like him. He had six pokeballs attached to his belt.

"Excuse me," asked Ash, "do you kn-"

"And just what are you?" asked the kid aggressively, cutting Ash off.

"Erm, we're looking for the stadium for the Saikō championships," explained Brock.

"Really?" replied the kid incredulously, "because wimps like you guys wont last a second!"

"What? Who do you think you are?" Dawn yelled at the kid.

"I'm Ray, from Orre. I've took part in the two previous championships, coming 90th and 76th, top that punks."

"76th doesn't sound to hot to me," retorted Ash.

"Clearly you have no grasp of how this tournament works, you fo-"

But a trainer in blue jeans suddenly cut Ray off. He was a brown haired boy wearing a black jumper, battered baseball boots and some dark jeans with a belt containing six pokeballs holding them up. This newcomer had a hooded friend in tow, wearing greyish skater jeans and grubby white trainers.

The leading boy shouted across the square: "I wouldn't call him that. He's…" the boy paused for thought, "Ash Ketchum, right? He's actually pretty talented, just thought you'd want to know, and you're…Ray Gekko right? You came 76th last year, right? Not bad…but, here's a bet: I can top it. What d'you think, Ray?"

Ray was taken aback, as was Ash. "Hey, just who are you?" Ray asked.

"I came 34th last year, the best place to age ratio achieved for thirty years. Remember me now?"

"No, so you must be lying. How about I teach you a lesson?"

"Sure," agreed the brown haired boy, "one-on-one?"

"Fine, but you'll regret this," shouted Ray, but, as he did, the hooded boy behind the brown haired boy howled with laughter. "H-hey," stuttered Ray, "shut the hell up! Go, Beedrill!"

"Sure, come on out Bayleef," replied the brown haired boy, sharing a surreptitious grin with the hooded boy as the large wasp-like pokemon and the yellow aromatic pokemon both appeared.

"Cool, a Bayleef," shouted Ash, "I raised one in Johto."

"Nice, you'll enjoy this battle then- it's one small step for my Bayleef and one massive leap for Bayleef-kind!"

The hooded boy slapped his forehead, groaning at his friend's poor joke.

"Enough lame jokes, Beedrill use Poison Jab!" shouted Ray.

Beedrill suddenly buzzed forward, it's drill-like hands glowing a sinister purple. Bayleef ducked its long neck and the Beedrill careered overhead, it's speed too great to control.

"Bayleef, use Ancientpower!"

Bayleef glowed an eerie mystic blue, and suddenly several boulders rocketed out of the ground and flew at Beedrill, smashing it against a nearby wall.

"B-but, how?" yelled Ray, "Bayleef can't learn Ancientpower!"

"With certain training," replied the brown haired boy, "they can."

"Damn it! Beedrill, attack them with Pin Missile!"

A blast of bullet-like spines erupted from Beedrill's stinger, heading for Bayleef.

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!"

Bayleef countered with a blindingly fast Razor Leaf attack, cutting both the Pin Missile attack and Beedrill out of the air, knocking the pokemon out.

"Bayleef, nice one!" exclaimed the boy, running forward to congratulate his Bayleef.

"No way!" yelled Ray "Damn it! Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Chazo Kuro," replied Chazo.

"Damn, why didn't I recognise you?"

"You were to busy insulting the newcomers, amigo," replied Chazo.

"Yeah," added the hooded boy, "now beat it or I'll take you out."

"Shut it punk!" yelled Ray, "That Chazo is gonna get his comeuppance in the competition, but you're just a nobody."

"He's my brother, and…well he's kind of a badass," grinned Chazo, "but by all means get beat all over again- it's no skin off my nose, amigo."

Ray, flummoxed, quickly ran off, taking his gang with him. Chazo and his brother walked across the square towards Ash.

"Sorry about that," Chazo said, "some guys are like that, this tournament just makes 'em go all macho."

"It's cool," replied Ash, "so…well, who actually are you?"

"Well, I'm Chazo and this," he gestured at the hooded boy, "is Jazol Esukka. Our names aren't family names before you ask- they were…well, anyway, who are all you, apart from Ash?"

"I'm Brock," replied Brock.

"From Pewter City, right?" asked Chazo.

"Er…yeah," said Brock, slightly confused.

"And I'm Dawn," said Dawn, expecting Chazo to recount her achievements or, at the very least, her hometown. After a while it became apparent that he had absolutely no idea who she was. "Well, I'm from Twinleaf Town, and I'm a pokemon coordinator."

"Oh…that explains it," mused Chazo, "I only really research battlers you see. No offense intended, it's just…battling's what I do."

"Oh, no problem."

"So, who else is here?" asked Ash.

"Oh, all sorts," replied Chazo, "there's Shinto, the guy who got 21st place last year, and Dandee, a friend of mine, he's here for the first time too, then there's…"

Chazo's rendition continued long into the afternoon, with Ash listening eagerly, and Jazol, Dawn and Brock hanging around next to them looking bored.

They eventually decided it was time to find somewhere to stay, and they eventually got rooms in a posh hotel- "Just until we register, then we'll get lodgings," assured Chazo, as everyone reluctantly emptied their wallets in order to pay for a very expensive villa room.

As they opened the door to their vast one-night accommodation they saw a kitchen with a well stocked fridge, five king-sized beds and- "a pool!" gasped Dawn.

"I think this is gonna be fun," grinned Ash.

**How did you like chapter one? Please, please, please review! I plan to have some very exciting matches in this here tournament! **

**(NB: Bayleef can learn Ancientpower as a move tutor move in Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver.)**


	2. Blast Off!

After they had unpacked, Ash, Brock, Dawn and Chazo began to prepare dinner. The fridge was packed full of delicious ingredients, and soon Brock had meatballs, pasta and several pizzas on the go, while Ash and Chazo fought it out over who would get the last piece of the good ham for a pre-dinner sandwich. Meanwhile, Jazol was still in his room, "brooding" Chazo said, but over what he didn't know.

Soon dinner was served, but Jazol only emerged to grab some food, then he retreated again into his room. After they had all finished eating, Ash still had a few questions.

"So," he began, "how do the Saiko Championships work exactly?"

"Hmm," mused Chazo, "well, it starts with the Primo Round. That's five one-on-one battles in five hours, so each battle is consecutive with only small breaks in between- the faster you defeat each opponent the longer you have to rest. It's a real test of stamina and strategy and each round must be fought using only one pokemon."

"Wow," exclaimed Dawn, "that many battles all at once is going to be really tiring, right Brock?"

"Well yes," replied Brock, "but it'll be more mentally challenging than it is physically: you'll need to maintain your mental agility levels, otherwise you're sure to lose."

"So, what do you have to do to advance into the next round?" asked Ash.

"You've got to win all five, of course," replied Chazo, as though this should have been obvious.

"All five," burst out Ash, "that's really hard!"

"Well, so many people apply that you have cut the numbers down," explained Chazo, "and besides, even after the Primo round there are still over one-thousand trainers still in the competition. You have to remember that the Saiko Championships are on a much bigger scale then any other kind of tournament."

"I guess so," agreed Ash nervously, "but still…"

"You'll be fine, I bet," replied Chazo, "besides, I can train with you if you'd like."

"Yeah, I mean you've done this tournament before, right?"

"Yep."

"Anyway," interjected Dawn, "we have this room for a whole night, so we might as well enjoy it, right?"

"She's right," agreed Brock.

"Uh-huh," said Chazo, "let's swim in the pool!"

"Yeah," replied Dawn, "our pokemon can too! Go Piplup!"

Dawn threw a pokeball and her Piplup emerged from it and then dived into the pool.

"Yeah, come on out Buizel!" yelled Ash.

"Yeah, go Bayleef!" added Chazo.

Bayleef and Buizel both materialized and jumped in after Piplup. Buizel was naturally a good swimmer, and began diving and splashing with gusto, but Bayleef wasn't shabby either: it was clear that Chazo had trained her to swim.

"Cool, let's go get changed," said Ash.

They all went to their rooms and changed into swimming gear. As they all ran towards the pool, Chazo stopped outside Jazol's room.

"You coming swimming little bro?" he asked.

A muffled grunt came from inside the room. Chazo took it to mean 'no', before he ran up to the edge of the pool and dive bombed in, splashing Dawn, who was trying not to get her hair wet.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly in response to her steely gaze.

Just as she was about to forgive him, Ash dived in right next to her, soaking her hair once again. As Dawn yelled at Ash, Brock swam over to Chazo.

"What's up with your brother?" he asked.

"Not sure," replied Chazo, "but my best bet is that he's already drawing up strategies for the Primo round."

"Wow," exclaimed Brock, "he's really focused, huh?"

"Well, he really wants to win, that's for sure."

"Can't blame him, though."

"No…you can't."

* * *

After their late night, Ash, Dawn and Brock woke up at about 11 o'clock in the morning.

"Nyyaahh!" yawned Ash, "Morning guys."

"No talk," moaned Dawn from her room, "more sleep."

Ash walked into the main room of the expensive villa, got himself some toast, then knocked at Chazo's door.

"Chazo!" Ash yelled, resulting in a loud grumbling sound from Dawn's room, "Get up, we need to go register!"

Ash opened the door to find an empty room.

"I wonder were he's gone?" Ash wondered aloud.

He walked out onto the balcony, still eating his toast. He was beginning to seriously worry about the upcoming Primo rounds- they sounded seriously tough. _Which pokemon should I use? Something fast and powerful? Maybe Infernape…no, this is a contest of endurance, so someone like Torterra? What about Muk, or Snorlax? Damn, I'm just not sure! _

As he was thinking, Ash saw a flock of Starly take of from a distant point in some nearby woods. He heard faint clanging sounds, as if of large colliding bodies.

"I think I found him."

Ash had quickly had a shower then got changed. He had picked up his pokeballs and him and Pikachu had left the hotel, heading for the distant noises. Ash was soon at the forest, and as he began to walk further in the terrain got wilder and wilder as he got further away from Port Kibo.

Eventually he walked about a large boulder to see Chazo and Jazol facing off against each other from either side of a makeshift battlefield. In the middle of the battlefield, a Dusknoir and a Metagross where facing up to each other, each trying to psych to other out.

"Ionsteel, use Meteor Mash!" commanded Jazol.

"Phantom, phase out!" shouted Chazo.

Even as Jazol's Metagross spun across the battlefield, it's sharp metal claws surrounded by a multicoloured cosmic aura, the Dusknoir disappeared into thin air!

"Ionsteel," yelled Jazol, "halt your attack and use Psychic to sense Phantom's presence!"

Ionsteel stopped halfway through its Meteor Mash attack, and its eyes glowed an eerie blue. Suddenly it turned and began to run towards Jazol's end of the field, but as it did the sinister ghost pokemon came back into view, and began to float upwards, away from that charging Metagross.

"There's no escape!" cried Jazol, "Ionsteel, use Magnet Rise!"

Ionsteel began to levitate away from the ground, chasing Phantom into the sky. Both continued to gain height, eventually facing of far above the trees.

"Phantom," called out Chazo, "use Shadow Punch!"

"Ionsteel," replied Jazol, "counter with Psychic!"

Ionsteel's eyes glowed blue once more, and Phantom was caught in a blue aura. However, even as the eerie energy encased Phantom, one of his fists blinked out of existence in a flash of blackness.

"Hang on, where did Phantom's hand go?" exclaimed Jazol, "Shadow Punch is a physical move, it can't be used at long range!"

"Hmm, true," agreed Chazo, "but, as you've already seen, ghost pokemon are irritating due to their ability to phase in and out of battle in a most curious way. Phantom and I have simply modified this ability to be able to transfer single body parts as well as Phantom's whole body. Now, my friend, use Shadow punch!"

Up above, Phantom's missing fist suddenly reappeared directly underneath Ionsteel and smashed into the steel pokemon, causing an explosion to engulf it! The blue light around Phantom dissipated as the conflagration covered Ionsteel's body, making it lose its focus.

"Quickly Phantom," shouted Chazo, "go in close for a Shadow Punch barrage!"

Phantom phased out, then, reappearing in front of a battered Ionsteel, released a barrage of ferocious Shadow Punches, sending Ionsteel spiralling back to earth. Phantom drifted gently down as well.

"Nice one Phantom," said Chazo, high-fiving his pokemon, "and Jazol: don't forget, you're Ionsteel was awesome too- what a powerful Psychic attack."

"Yeah, I guess so," sighed Jazol.

It was at this point that Ash walked up to the battlefield. Jazol suddenly withdrew his Metagross, looking almost offended as if Ash had intruded on something private.

"Hi Ash," grinned Chazo.

"Hi," he replied, "so, you guys doing some pre-lunch training?"

"Pre-lunch!" yelled Chazo, "This was morning training when we started, we must have seriously lost track of time."

"Yeah, guess so," agreed Jazol, "anyway, I'm heading to register- you guys should too."

Jazol walked off, leaving Ash and Chazo to talk strategy:

"So, your Dusknoir is pretty strong," noted Ash.

"Uh-huh," agreed Chazo, "ghost types can be difficult to train, but their unique movements and natural evasiveness makes them really useful in battle."

"I bet," replied Ash, "anyway, I've been thinking- what pokemon should I use in the Primo round?"

"Well, you can only really decide that once we've seen you're opponents, but stamina is a must."

"Right," said Ash, smiling to himself, "I know exactly what I'm going to use!"

"Cool…anyway, we still need to register. Let's head back to the hotel, eat lunch then head over to the Saiko coliseum."

"Good idea…well, anyway, last one to the hotel is a rotten Exeggcute!"

With the challenge set, both of them ran back to the hotel as quickly as they could.

* * *

Ash and Chazo arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later, breathing heavily. It was now quarter past one, and both of them were starving. As they were going inside a kid with long blonde hair, most of it covered by a beanie hat, with a red hoodie and cargo pants, yelled across the room at Chazo.

"Hey, Chazo," he yelled, "long time, no see!"

"Tyn?" asked Chazo, "no way!"

The kid walked over to Ash and Chazo to greet Chazo properly and to introduce himself to Ash. It turned out Tyn had taken part in the tournament in the year before, and came 98th, a "very respectable" place according to Chazo, although Tyn described it as being "practically the best trainer in all recorded history!"

After they'd all had lunch, Dawn and Brock joined them, and after being introduced to Tyn, they all agreed it was time to go and register for the Saiko Championships.

Chazo and Tyn led Ash, Dawn and Brock through Port Kibo, and then along a sprawling rural road that apparently led to the Saiko coliseum.

"So Tyn, what pokemon are you using for the Primo rounds?" asked Brock.

"Not entirely sure yet, but I've got a couple lined up. What 'bout you?" replied Tyn.

"Oh, I'm not battling," Brock told him, "but Ash is."

"Oh, right. So Ash, had any thoughts?" Tyn asked.

"Sure have…but, you'll have to wait and see," teased Ash.

"What about you Dawn," inquired Tyn, "are you registering?"

"No, I do contests more that battling," she explained.

"Oh, that's a shame…although," he added, turning to Chazo, "it's not like this year's competition needs any more scary girls in it, hey Chazo? I mean, Kimberley, Eve and Haru have all signed up."

At the sound of these names Chazo winced, then turned to Tyn and said, mockingly, "So…shall we give up right now?"

"Who are Kimberley, Eve and Haru?" asked Dawn.

"Scarily strong trainers," replied Chazo, "and I mean that when I say it. Kimberley is just plain brutal, Eve is a master strategist and Haru is a master of crippling other peoples' pokemon so that victories just fall into her lap."

"The more we hear about this tournament, the tougher it sounds," Brock thought aloud.

"Yeah," nodded Ash.

* * *

After an hour and a half of walking, they reached the Saiko coliseum. As they approached it they passed through a grand gateway, at least twenty meters wide and fifty meters high. Even Chazo and Tyn, who had been there before let out an audible gasp as they passed underneath the mighty archway. If Ash, Dawn and Brock though the gate was impressive, it was truly put to shame when compared to the coliseum itself.

It was a truly colossal complex, containing at least forty full-sized stadiums surrounding the main battleground: a mighty building situated in the heart of the vast grounds. At a guess, Ash thought it could hold maybe twenty thousand spectators. Around the comples were dozens of apartment buildings. _Wow! _was all he could think.

"It's incredible, right Pikachu?" gasped Ash.

"Pika, Pikaa-chu!" chirped the electric mouse _It sure is!_

They made their way through crowds of trainers, all chatting about their match schedules or tactics, towards the entrance hall. Upon walking through the nearest set of automatic doors they entered what looked like a huge pokemon centre: which was indeed what it was. The nearest desk had quite a small queue so Ash, Tyn and Chazo joined it.

Eventually they got to the front, and, after Tyn and Chazo were registered, it was Ash's turn.

"So, what is your name?" asked the Nurse Joy behind the counter.

"Ash Ketchum," replied Ash.

"Oh yes," chirped Nurse Joy, "here's your data," she handed Ash a freshly printed piece of paper, "keep a hold of it, and here are your opponents for the Primo round," she finished, handing Ash another sheet of paper with five names on it and a date.

Ash wandered over to Chazo and Tyn, who were both examining their opponents for the Primo rounds on a couple of computers set into a nearby wall.

"I've got two fighting type users," noted Tyn, "a couple of all-rounders and a fire fanatic, what about you?"

"An ice specialist, two ground type users, an all-rounder and…Crasher Wake," concluded Chazo.

"Crasher Wake?" asked Ash as he took his place next to Chazo and began to type in the names of his competitors onto a computer, "Really?"

"Uh-huh…he may be tricky…" mused Chazo.

"When's your round happening?" asked Tyn, "Mine's a whole week away."

"Mine's three days from now," replied Ash.

"And mine is on the 8th, so that's all good," said Chazo cheerily.

"Except," cut in a voice from behind, "today is the 7th."

It was Jazol, who was holding a piece of paper similar to the other three and who looked just as bored as usual.

"Mine's five days away, by the way," he added.

"Today's the 7th?" asked Chazo.

"Yep," replied Jazol in a monotone voice.

"But that's…" Chazo ran his hands through his hair nervously, "TOMORROW!"

** Ok, that's the second chapter done. Please review, even if you have bad things to say. Chapter 3 should be up soon.**


	3. A Place to Call Our Own

Tyn, Chazo, Ash, Dawn, Jazol and Brock left the pokemon centre, with Chazo still nervously fidgeting about the imminence of his Primo round. While Chazo, Tyn, Jazol and Ash had been arranging their matches; Dawn and Brock had been organizing their accommodation. They were all staying on the second floor of Sandstone Lodge, one of the many lodges situated around the perimeter of the Saiko coliseum. As they all walked towards the distant lodge, Brock realised that their bags were still back at the hotel in Port Kibo.

"No," groaned Ash, "it took us about two hours to walk out here."

"I think I have an idea," said Chazo, "Brock can you ring the hotel and tell them we're checking out?"

"Sure," answered Brock, " but what about our stuff?"

"No problem," beamed Chazo, "go, Phantom!"

Chazo threw a pokeball into the air and out of it burst a wave of bright light, which solidified into Chazo's Dusknoir, Phantom.

"Phantom, would you mind grabbing our bags from the hotel?" asked Chazo, "Remember the one back in Port Kibo?"

Phantom made a low rumbling noise, which seemed to signify ascent. The ghost-type pokemon turned and began to drift off, then suddenly disappeared.

"Where did he go?" cried Dawn.

"He phased out," explained Chazo, "ghost types are free to fade in and out of our world. They can travel quite far quite quickly…provided they know where they're going."

"That's sooo weird!" yelped Dawn, but as she did Phantom reappeared, dutifully carrying her bags. Dawn looked very sheepish at having insulted Phantom just as he had brought her her belongings. "Thanks so much, Phantom," Dawn said, almost unnaturally cheerfully. She went to pat him on the back, but even as she extended her arm the ghost-type vanished once again and her hand waved inconsequentially in mid-air. "Ahhh!"

* * *

Soon enough, Phantom had brought all their belongings to the Saiko coliseum. They picked up their stuff, and started to walk towards Sandstone Lodge again, the shadowy figure of Phantom only a few paces behind them all.

As they approached they saw for the first time their new home, until the tournament was over at least. It was a very tall building, with a café on the ground floor and the next four floors taken up with bedrooms and bathrooms. The lodge was build out of deep red sandstone, as the name suggested.

They entered the lodge and all checked in with a smiling woman sat behind a solid oak desk. She directed them to their rooms, and after a trek up two flights of stairs they arrived at their flat. The flat they were staying in consisted of two bathrooms, a main room with a kitchen and a TV surrounded by sofas and beanbags, and four bedrooms: three small, one big.

"Only four?" asked Tyn.

"Apparently so," replied Brock, "three single beds," he gestured at the three small bedrooms, "and one triple bunk-bed," Brock pointed at the largest of the four bedrooms, "anyway, I'm the oldest so logically I should get one of the single beds, right."

"Me too," added Dawn, "a girl needs her own space."

Jazol stared at Ash, Tyn and Chazo, then said in a deadpan voice: "I ain't sharing a room with any of you."

Suddenly Jazol, Dawn and Brock all bolted inside a single bedroom with their bags and locked the door.

Chazo turned to see Ash and Tyn already running towards the triple bunk-bed room. "No, oh no- wait for me!"

Ash, Tyn and Chazo all dashed into the largest bedroom and began to fight over who would get which bunk. Eventually Chazo got the bottom one, Ash the middle and Tyn, his green eyes glowing with pride, got the top.

"Haha," laughed Tyn, staring at Chazo, whose grey eyes were glaring, "you got beaten by a fourteen-year-old! A year younger than you and I still whuped your sorry butt!"

Eventually Tyn's giggles subsided, and after everyone had unpacked and had congregated in the main room (everyone except Jazol, who was still in his room) Brock asked Chazo the question on everyone's minds.

"So, which pokemon are you using tomorrow?"

Chazo winced, as if he'd forgotten all about the Primo rounds and Brock had brought him sharply and unpleasantly back to Earth. "I was thinking about using Phantom. His phasing skills would come in handy, and his moves are perfect for endurance."

This last comment was a mystery to Ash: he'd only ever seen Phantom use Shadow Punch.

"Sounds like a good choice," said Brock, "what about you Tyn?"

"It's a secret," he replied, "I said so on the way here, remember?"

"Yeah, but so did I," Chazo reminded him, "now might be the time to divulge."

"Hey, you can give away secrets if you like, but I'm not gonna."

"Er," said Ash, "Tyn? Who exactly would you be giving your secrets away to? The only people who would know are us, and none of us are in the same Primo round as you."

"You could all be spies," explained Tyn.

"Of course," sighed Dawn, "that makes perfect sense."

"Oh," exclaimed Ash, "I've been meaning to ask: Chazo, you said that to win the Primo rounds, one trainer has to beat the other five. But what if no trainer beats all five?"

"Then the person who beats the most other trainers wins," explained Chazo.

"What if it's even?" asked Ash.

"It goes to the judges," replied Chazo.

"All this going on about rules is making me really hungry," moaned Tyn as his stomach growled.

"Me too," chuckled Chazo, "let's go downstairs and eat- I fancy a café dinner, I reckon comfort food'll make me less nervous."

* * *

Everyone had soon settled down at a table in the corner of the ground floor café. Jazol had reluctantly joined them, but was sitting at the far end of the table, apparently immersed in deep thought. While they were waiting for their food to come, they all began to talk amongst themselves.

"So, Tyn," began Brock, "where are you from?"

"Me? Sunnyshore City. Man, it was so much fun living right next to the beach," Tyn reminisced, a look of childlike glee spreading across his face.

"And you?" Brock asked Chazo.

"Me," replied Chazo, pausing briefly for thought, "I'm from Blackthorn City, so is Jazol."

"So Ash," asked Tyn, "where were you born?"

"Pallet Town," replied Ash, "when I was ten I got Pikachu," explained Ash, nodding at Pikachu who was sitting in his lap, "what was your first pokemon?"

"Elekid," explained Tyn, "I'll show you my buddy right now. Go, Dynamo!"

Tyn had pulled a pokeball out of his pocket and out of it emerged a pokemon of medium height, with bright yellow fur, black bolt-shaped stripes and two brawny arms. The Electabuzz yawned loudly, then sat down near Tyn, resting it's back against the wall.

"He's a bit lazy," chuckled Tyn, "but he's a pokemon I can rely on if things get hairy."

Ash had been about to ask Chazo about his first pokemon, but just then their food arrived and all conversation was lost as they settled down to eat.

After their meal, they relapsed into talking again. Ash had just finished explaining to Chazo and Tyn about the curious antics of Team Rocket, when two trainers came over to their table.

"Hi there," the first one said. He was a boy of about fifteen, with gelled black hair, wearing a smart-casual navy shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, some expensive looking dark jeans and a pair of shiny black shoes. Everything about him screamed coolness. The second boy was slightly taller and broader than the first. He had medium length golden brown hair, with dark brown eyes, wearing brown t-shirt with a brand-name across it, with shorts and sandals and a pair of fingerless gloves not dissimilar to Ash's. It was clear that this boy was physically stronger than Chazo, Ash and Tyn put together, however he looked like a gentle giant. "I'm Kain Zin, explained the first boy, and this," he gestured towards the second boy, "is Tarnus Leo. We're staying on the same floor as you guys, so I just thought we should introduce ourselves. You're Tyn Jaden, right? And you," he pointed at Chazo, "are Chazo Kuro- your Primo round is tomorrow, isn't it?"

For a few seconds, everyone was too taken aback to respond. Eventually Chazo and Tyn both said "yes" and Ash, Dawn, Brock and Jazol were quickly introduced as well.

"Well," said Kain, turning his attention back to Chazo, "I'll be watching tomorrow. Don't lose, by the way."

"Why do you mind?" asked Chazo.

"Well you see," replied Kain, a smile breaking across his face, "I plan to take you on and beat you later on in this competition."

Chazo stood up, and for a second it looked like all hell was about to break loose. Then Chazo broke into a grin as well. He stuck out his hand, which Kain shook.

"I'll see you there," he chuckled, "but don't be so sure that I'll be going down."

* * *

"WAKE UP!" yelled Tyn.

Ash's whole body went into a kind of frenzied dance, and he fell out of the second bunk and hit the floor, the blow cushioned by the duvet that he had become entangled in.

Ash groaned, "Tyn…why?"

"Chazo's already gone, the round starts in twenty minutes!" he replied.

Ash suddenly jumped up, his duvet getting thrown across the room and landing several feet away like a vast, enveloping fabric pancake. He dashed toward the bathroom, hastily grabbing a towel along the way. Ash he locked the door and the sound of the shower filled the flat, Ash shouted to Tyn, "make some breakfast, quickly!"

"Oh sure," Tyn rolled his eyes, "I make brekkie, and you have a nice shower."

By the time Ash emerged in his towel and waddled into his room, Tyn had a plate of toast ready for Ash and had already finished most of his own. Ash soon emerged from the room, fully dressed and still towelling off his hair. He quickly wolfed down his toast, then both him and Tyn dashed back into the bathroom to quickly brush their teeth and bombard their mouths with mouthwash.

Soon they were running at full speed away from the Sandstone Lodge.

"Were is Chazo's match?" yelled Ash.

"Stadium D," replied Tyn, catching sight of a nearby signpost. Tyn slowed, quickly got his bearings, then dashed off towards a distant open topped building with what looked like a 'D' painted on it's walls in red.

After what seemed like an age, Ash and Tyn arrived at Stadium D, panting and sweating, feeling like their lungs were about to give out. Sprinting through the entrance to the building they immediately showed their details to a woman standing in front of a pain of double doors. She soon let them through into…stands, vast stands packed with cheering spectators. Standing at the top of a flight of stairs that cut the crowd in half, Ash and Tyn could see Chazo standing to their right far below, looking extremely nervous. Opposite him was a trainer with bright white hair, wearing a blue tracksuit.

"Hello one and all!" boomed a voice through the stands, "this is the first of the Primo rounds, and I'm your commentator, Gavin! This is the first battle in this, the first Primo! Our two competitors are Chazo Kuro, from Blackthorn City, and Sicol Blizzo, from Snowpoint City!"

The crowd went wild at both the names- neither Chazo nor Sicol seemed to be their collective favourite.

"Competitors, please choose your pokemon. This will be a one-on-one battle, and no foul play!" the referee down below yelled.

"Go, Phantom!" shouted Chazo, and he threw the same pokeball as he had the day before: and, like before, Phantom appeared, it's single red eye looking at it's opponent as it hovered eerily above the ground.

"Blow them away, Snowster!" cried Sicol, throwing a black and yellow Ultra ball far above his head. From it emerged a very tall and wide pokemon, white with light purple eyes and green standing out on it's limbs. The Abomnasnow roared menacingly, causing Ash's Pikachu to wince, despite Snowster being all the way down on the battlefield.

Phantom and Snowster glared at eachother, Phantom seemingly unphased by the impressive amount of noise that Snowster was making. The crowd began to buzz with anticipation.

The referee looked at Chazo, then Sicol, then Snowster, and then Phantom. He nodded, and then yelled, "BEGIN!"

** Cool, done. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, despite it ending on a cliff-hanger. Please review, even if you have bad things to say. Chapter 4 should be up by the end of the week. **


	4. Phase Phighter Phantom

The crowd exploded with noise, an almost tangible shockwave of volume smashing against Ash's eardrums. He stepped back, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of excitement from the fans, and then began scanning the stands for Dawn, Brock and Jazol. He soon spotted them and told Tyn to follow him as he ran down the stone steps and took a space next to Jazol. Tyn stepped in beside Ash, and then gazed in amazement at Phantom.

As soon as the referee begun the match Phantom had began floating upwards like an eerie hot-air balloon. Sicol and Snowster could only watch helplessly as the ghost type pokemon soared high above.

"This must be a part of his strategy," mused Brock.

"Of course," said Jazol, "my brother knows that Abomnasnow is a large, bulky pokemon, so he wants to avoid any physical attacks. That cuts Sicol's options down to half, so he can only use special moves."

"But I thought Phantom only knows physical moves," replied Ash, "isn't Chazo putting himself at a disadvantage?"

"No," explained Jazol, "because Phantom uses phase tactics. It can get close by phasing out and then back in again to cover distance quickly, so my brother's at no disadvantage. Besides, he wants Sicol to reveal some of Snowster's moves before he has to reveal any of Phantom's."

On the field Sicol finally decided he was tired of waiting. "Snowster, activate Snow Warning!"

Snowster roared, and suddenly hail started falling, bouncing off the crowd in the stands.

"Ouch!" cried Tyn, as a frozen crystal landed on his head, "I wish Sicol would use some crowd-friendly tactics!"

"Snow Warning?" wondered Dawn, then she withdrew her pokedex to scan the two pokemon. The pokedex came to rest on Phantom first, and the pokedex chimed: _"__Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon. It receives electrical waves from the spirit world with its antenna and is said to take people to the spirit world as well."_

"Creepy," shivered Dawn, before turning her pokedex on Snowster: _"Abomasnow, the Frost Tree Pokémon and the evolved form of Snover. Abomasnow appear when snow flowers bloom and return to places unknown when the petals fall. Ability: Snow Warning- Abomnasnow can summon hailstorms at will."_

"That sure sounds like a scary ability," said Tyn, "I hope Chazo'll be ok."

"He will," Jazol murmured.

"Phantom!" yelled Chazo, "Phase out to avoid hail!"

Far above the ground, Phantom blinked out of existence, rendering the hail effect useless.

"And what an incredible counter," exclaimed Gavin from the commentator's box, "Chazo has used Phantoms natural ghost-type abilities to render Sicol's strategy useless. He better get thinking, or else Snowster will surely suffer a defeat!"

"Oh no he won't," muttered Sicol under his breath, "Snowster, use Blizzard to freeze the field!"

Snowster gave another almighty roar and an icy vortex appeared in the middle of the battlefield, frosting up the grass and freezing the earth beneath it solid.

Just as the vortex cleared, Chazo yelled, "Phantom phase in from above and headshot Snowster with Shadow Punch!"

Even as the ground froze over beneath, the sinister ghost type reappeared directly above the icy giant and raised its arm, then suddenly shot its fist off the limb, sending it pelting down towards Snowster's head. The huge pokemon tried to move but it was too slow, and ended up getting hit between the eyes with the ghostly fist. Snowster toppled, then seemed to grin, before planting one foot on the icy ground and skating away along the frozen terrain, before turning and unleashing a powerful Blizzard attack into the sky.

"What happened?" cried Dawn.

"It was all part of Sicol's strategy," explained Brock, "he froze over the ground to allow Snowster to move about more quickly: giving it an important advantage."

"Phantom, dodge!" yelled Chazo, but it was too late. The powerful blast of freezing air struck Phantom full on, creating a massive explosion and sending Phantom tumbling back to earth. The suddenly it stopped falling, floating only a few inches from the ground, and suddenly the mouth on it's stomach broke out in a grin even bigger than the one firmly placed on Snowster's face.

"What's this?" came Gavin's voice out of the speakers dotted around the stadium, "Phantom is smiling after taking a hit like that?"

"Yep," beamed Chazo, "show them all why, buddy. Phantom, use Rest!"

Phantom glowed blue, then slumped forward, still floating but unmistakably asleep. The single red eye in Phantom's dark socked had vanished.

"Phantom has used Rest!" announced Gavin, "This move heals all damage, but leaves the user a sitting duck!"

"Too bad Chazo," smirked Sicol, "but Gavin's right! Snowster, destroy Phantom with an Ice Punch!"

Snowster roared, and began to skate across the battlefield, picking up speed with every inch, it's fist glowing a light blue. As Snowster reached Phantom, Chazo shouted, "Now Phantom. Use Sleep Talk!"

Phantom's eye suddenly reappeared, but instead of being red it was a bright purple. Phantom vanished, and Snowster skidded into the barrier wall with an almighty thud, barely managing to stand up again, and squinting painfully to try and spot Phantom. Suddenly the ghost type reappeared right in front of Snowster.

"Ice Punch, now!" yelled Sicol.

"Sleep Talk!" shouted Chazo.

Even as Snowster slung it's icy fist at Phantom, the gripper pokemon's eye opened, shining a vibrant purple, and he too used Ice Punch, the two moves colliding together and resulting in an explosion that send a chilly breeze through the stands. When the dust cleared, Phantom was still floating, but Snowster was out cold on the ground.

"And the winner is Chazo Kuro!" announced the referee.

"What a match!" exclaimed Gavin, "Snowster was certainly a strong competitor, but no one could have been prepared for the denizen of endurance that we have just witnessed in action!"

"Wow!" shrieked Dawn, "He did it!"

"Of course," scoffed Jazol, "I told you so. He wouldn't get taken out this early, not in a million years."

* * *

The sun was setting, and it was finally time for Chazo's last battle in the Primo round. He had trounced Doug and his Graveler, Lee and his Cacturne and John with his Rhyhorn, but his final match was the one that Chazo had been most worried about…

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final battle of the first Primo round!" yelled Gavin over the speakers, "we have witnessed both of these trainers defeat four opponents, so whoever wins this battle will be through to the next round. This is so tense I almost can't stand it! Welcome on to the battlefield, Chazo Kuro from Blackthorn City!"

Chazo emerged from a long tunnel leading from the waiting area, waving to his newfound fans. After four victories he had become very popular with the crowd. In the crowd were Tyn, Ash, Brock, Dawn and Jazol, all cheering particularly loudly, apart from Jazol who was silently staring at his brother.

"Now, let us welcome Chazo's opponent: from Pastoria City, it's the one, the only, Crasher Wake!"

The crowd went wild, as the masked gym leader walked onto the battlefield and took his place opposite Chazo.

"So, you're my opponent?" roared Crasher Wake over the tumult of the crowd.

"Yep," replied Chazo.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Crasher Wake, "Let's get started!"

"Sure," agreed the referee, "begin!"

"Go, Phantom!" yelled Chazo.

"Drag them under! Floatzel!" cried Crasher Wake.

The floating ghost and the massive otter-like pokemon both materialized on the field.

"Man," sighed Ash, "I remember that Floatzel from my gym battle, and it's really tough."

"My brother will win," said Jazol, as though it was a fact that couldn't be changed.

"Let's kick this off," yelled Wake, "Floatzel, use Bulk Up!"

Floatzel glowed red, and appeared to swell, ending up larger than it was before.

"And Crasher Wake has opened the match with Bulk Up, a move which boosts both attack and defence!" explained Gavin.

"Now Floatzel, use Ice Fang!" cried Wake, and Floatzel started to run towards Phantom, snapping its freezing jaws.

"Counter with Ice Punch!" yelled Chazo.

As Floatzel went to bite Phantom, the ghost type's fist glowed pale blue and he slung it at the oncoming water type. The Ice Punch and Ice Fang attacks collided, creating a blast of mist that swallowed up both Phantom and Floatzel.

"Floatzel, use your ears," shouted Wake, "listen out for Phantom!"

"Use Shadow Punch!" Chazo commanded.

"And Chazo has made a smart tactical move with Shadow Punch," said Gavin, "because this move never misses it id a perfect choice in the misty conditions!"

From within the icy cloud there came a noise as if of impact, and suddenly Floatzel came flying out of the mist, it's belly bruised as if it had just been punched. Phantom floated out of the mist, glowering at its foe.

"Show them what they're up against!" exclaimed Wake, "Use Whirlpool, full power!"

Floatzel got up and began to spin around, whipping up an almighty wind while spraying water from its mouth. In a matter of seconds there was a formidable whirlpool suspended above Floatzel. The otter-like pokemon grinned sadistically, then hurled the mass of surging water at Phantom.

"Dodge!" cried Chazo, but it was too late as the mighty blast of water crashed over Phantom, sending him flying across the stadium in a surge of foamy waves. Even after the attack looked like it had cleared, Chazo looked on it horror as Phantom became trapped in the spinning water, being buffeted about by the force with which it was rotating.

"What power!" exclaimed Gavin, "That Whirlpool attack was off the scale, and now its secondary effect has come into play: trapping Phantom inside a mass of water!"

"Things don't look good for Chazo," murmured Brock.

"Too right," sighed Tyn, "he needs to pull something out of the bad, that's for sure."

"He will," whispered Jazol resolutely.

On the field Chazo looked grim. He couldn't get Phantom to phase out because of the constant damage being inflicted. _Damn, _he thought, _I need to find a way to stop the whirlpool from spinning… _

"Phantom, use Ice Punch!"

Phantom's fist lit up a cold blue as he was being spun round, and suddenly the whole whirlpool froze solid- stopping it from spinning.

"Now, phase out!" commanded Chazo, "Hurry, before you take too much damage from the cold!"

From within the crystallized whirlpool came a flash of black, and then, on the field, Phantom blinked back into being, leaving the frozen whirlpool hollow and bringing Chazo back into the game.

"An incredible move by Chazo!" shouted Gavin, "Using Ice Punch to stop the whirlpool damage allowed Phantom to escape!"

"Amazing!" exclaimed Dawn, who was cheering along with the others in the stands.

"Yeah," replied Ash, "but Phantom sure looks tired."  
"I think that move was a double edged sword for Chazo," mused Brock, "he escaped from the whirlpool, but it looks like Phantom suffered from the cold."

"Quickly," yelled Chazo, far below on the battlefield, "use Rest!"

Like in his battle with Sicol, Chazo's Phantom glowed blue, then slouched forward into a deep sleep.

"And Phantom is fully healed!" explained Gavin, "He is one tough nut to crack!"

"Too bad," sighed Wake, "hit them again with Whirlpool!"

Once again, Floatzel summoned a huge spinning mass of water, and then let it fly across the battlefield towards its opponent.

"Phantom, use Sleep Talk!"

Phantom's eye reappeared, glowing purple. It raised its fist, but even as it did the flood of water cascaded down upon him, sending hit spinning across the battlefield and trapping him once again in a spinning aqua-prison.

"Oh!" cried Gavin, his voice echoing throughout the stadium, "What a shame! I looks like Chazo was hoping for Phantom to use Ice Punch in order to freeze the oncoming Whirlpool attack, but with Sleep Talk you can never be sure which move your pokemon will use- and this time it was a Shadow Punch attack that the roulette wheel of fate landed on, an attack which, sadly, is no use now that Phantom is trapped!"

"Man," sighed Ash, "this looks really bad for Chazo."

"Yeah," agreed Brock, "it does."

"Then why's he smiling?" asked Tyn.

It was true: down on the battlefield, Chazo has an unmistakable smile on his face. Crasher Wake looked plain confused, then, suddenly, confusion turned to horror as Wake looked at Phantom spinning in the whirlpool and noticed that-

"Phantom has a missing fist!" blurted out Gavin, "If you all look it's plain to see that he only has one fist! Where is the other one?"

"You'll see," whispered Chazo, "now, complete the Shadow Punch attack Phantom!"

Far up in the stands, Ash had a vision of Phantom, floating far above the trees back at Port Kibo. Its fist had disappeared, and Jazol's Ionsteel had it held by a Psychic attack. Then, suddenly, the fist reappeared, blinking into existence underneath Ionsteel and smashing into its bulky metal body. Back in the stadium Ash exclaimed: "He's phased out Phantom's fist!"

Even as Ash spoke, Phantom's missing fist reappeared at Floatzel's feet, then flew upwards colliding painfully with the otter-like pokemon's jaw, sending it flying into the air!

"Wha- Noooo!" cried Wake, as Floatzel came back into contact with the ground, churning up a cloud of dust. Suddenly, the whirlpool around Phantom exploded and dissipated into a harmless puddle of water on the battlefield. The dust around Wake's pokemon cleared, revealing a fainted, and definitely defeated, Floatzel. The crowd went wild, and the sheer volume of the cheering meant that Gavin's astounded commentary could barely be heard.

"Incredible!" he yelled, "Simple incredible! Chazo managed to put only Phantom's fist out of phase, allowing him to attack Floatzel when it's guard was down with a devastatingly powerful Shadow Punch! I can't find a better word for it: INCREDIBLE!"

Crasher Wake went over to his defeated pokemon, and crouched down beside it. "You were awesome buddy," he whispered.

"He sure was."

Wake looked up. Chazo had crossed the field, with Phantom in tow. The ghost type had retrieved his fist, and was now fiddling with, as if checking to see if it was attached properly. Chazo was standing over Wake and Floatzel.

"Thanks," replied Wake, "that was a great battle, one of true fun!"

"Yeah," agreed Chazo, and as Wake stood up they shook hands.

* * *

Jazol, Ash, Dawn, Tyn and Brock were waiting in the lobby of the stadium. Most of the crowd had left, but they had decided to wait for Chazo. The doors to the waiting area opened, and Chazo emerged. Everyone ran up to him.

"Wow!" cried Dawn, "You're through to the next round!"

"That was so totally awesome!" yelled Tyn.

"Too right!" agreed Ash.

"Your strategy sure was impressive," nodded Brock.

"That was pretty good, bro," murmured Jazol

"Thanks guys, but I was actually quite lucky to be honest," admitted Chazo, "if Sleep Talk hadn't ended up activating Shadow Punch then I might have lost. Besides, I don't deserve the glory, Phantom does. Come on out buddy."

Chazo withdrew a pokeball from his belt and from it burst Phantom. Everyone began crowding around him, congratulating him, until even the somber ghost typed looked extremely content.

"Nice one," came a voice from across the lobby.

It was Kain, standing next to Tarnus.

"I was in the stands like I said I would be," he explained, "and that was an impressive succession of victories."

Chazo stepped away from the group, whose attention was now firmly focused on Kain. "Thanks," he replied.

"I'll be keeping an even closer eye on you now," Kain said, "and I expect you to keep winning. Our match must happen, and if you lose then it wont- which would be a great shame."

"Well, make sure you don't lose either," said Chazo.

"Oh, I won't," smiled Kain, "I don't lose. You'd better focus on training for our match."

"Sorry, not right now. I've got something else to focus on right now," explained Chazo.

"What?" asked Ash from behind him.

Chazo turned to face Ash. "Your match is in two days."

**I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4! Sorry it took so long. Anyway, the next chapter is Ash training for his Primo rounds, as well as some other stuff. Please review!**


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